The purpose of Bioanalytical services are to a) facilitate experimental aims being pursued in the context of both animal studies and clinical protocols, b) integrate key experimental goals c) provide consistent and responsive high quality analytical data that supports the hypothesis-testing and d) develop and apply new analytical methodologies that will meet the evolving needs and successes. The Bioanalytical faculty participants and their staff are established experts in inflammatory and vascular biology, cell signaling, proteomics, lipidomics and redox chemistry. They will bring to bear their individual expertise in collaborative and service functions designed to support the proposed goals of this SCCOR. Specific Bioanalytical objectives include a) providing sensitive and unambiguous measurement of indices of vascular and cardiac tissue inflammatory processes and their resolution, b) optimization and standardization of microscopic-, immunological-, mass spectrometric- and PCR-based techniques for the tissue localization, quantification and/or characterization of specific mRNAs and proteins, c) the application of sensitive and specific mass spectrometric approaches for the measurement of products of cardiovascular inflammatory signaling and their sequelae - specifically, oxidized fatty acids, and oxidized and nitrated proteins and d) the generation of new insight regarding inflammatory mechanisms and target molecules that contribute to CHF, that will in turn motivate future novel hypothesis-driven experimental and therapeutic approaches. In the integrated clinical and basic investigatory approach adopted by this SCCOR proposal, Bioanalytical will thus provide a consistent resource for measurement of key experimental endpoints serving as outcome variables related to progression and resolution of CHF. Use will ensure uniformity in a) blood, microdialysate and tissue sampling, b) biomaterial processing and c) sample storage between projects. We will also contribute to the design of quality control measures underlying procedures executed and the overall design and planning of experimental aims.